ready for some days off
It is late spring and time to start the open water season. Having counted laps the last 6 months in the pool, I'm eager to taste sea water for the first time this year. Season opening is something special, so the location should be something special too. Since a long weekend is coming up, we book Turkey's ultimate holiday destination. The D Maris Bay Hotel on Datça Peninsula.
At a place where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean, spread out at a magnificent hillside, D Maris Bay offers an experience of exclusivity that exceeds all expectations. With breathtaking views on small islands, pine forests, volcanic mountain ranges and crystal clear waters, the place offers a peaceful enclave of unspoiled beauty, serenity and luxury.
The resort itself features five natural world class beaches. For those of us living in the noise and pollution of big cities, searching for seclusion, retreat and peace, D Maris Bay is the perfect holiday destination. While the hotel facilities and its rooms are very well designed and spacious, it is the outside where the actual beauty really lies. In this exceptional outdoor space you may find many pleasant spots to linger and relax. D Maris Bay has a bed and breakfast concept. While sitting on the terrace with Aegean sea view and birdsong as a soundtrack, our understanding of a varied, sophisticated and delicious breakfast raises to a new standard.
open water season starts today
Grabbing our swimming gear we head down to the pier and enter one of the small hotel ferries that brings us to one of the "blue flag" beaches across the bay. The water is clear and very refreshing. We can't wait to dive in. After a first dip we realize that the summer hasn't started yet; the water is still cold for a long training swim. So we decide to wear wetsuit. We chose to swim a route between the islands and the beaches making sure that the boat traffic is predictable. Now it's time to go for the first two hour swim this year. Open water season has started; in paradise this year.
What do I like so much about open water swimming. Starting from the moment I dive in, everything around me, all the noise and sights are just disappearing and all that is left is me and the open sea. When I'm swimming in open water nothing can catch up with me, not even my troubles. Gliding through these waters gives me a massive sense of freedom. Swimming in open water, fighting the wind, waves and currents have taught me that I'm capable of so much more than I ever imagined.
